From Speak Ni Wo Ta to Miaru: A Founder's Story

Hi, I'm Rijad Dizdarevic, the founder of Miaru. If you've ever wondered how a golden monkey, two daughters' names, and a decade of stubborn optimism turn into a language-learning platform, this post is for you.

A decade of chasing one idea

I've been trying to build a language-learning app for over ten years. My first attempt was called Speak Ni Wo Ta — a Mandarin learning app with a handful of lessons and a lot of heart. It eventually evolved into a Chinese dictionary app for iOS, and that one had a genuinely fun moment in the sun: around 60,000 downloads. Not bad for a solo side project, and more importantly, proof that people out there wanted to learn the way I did.

From there my path took a detour into gaming. It turned out to be the most important detour of my life.

A plush toy, an anime, and a monkey named Luffy

Luffy: born from a plush toy, named after a legend.

Before the games, I had built an app called OtakuSnap — an Instagram-style app for Japanese culture. It didn't go anywhere, but its icon did: a cheerful little monkey who later became the hero of my infinite-runner game OtakuRun. That monkey is Luffy, and he has been with me ever since. You can read his full journey in Meet Luffy: The Story of Miaru's Mascot.

Two fun facts about his origins. The design was inspired by a little plush toy my wife had, which I found impossibly cute. And the name? It comes from my favorite anime, One Piece, whose main character is Monkey D. Luffy. So when people ask me what Luffy is, I tell them: well, he's a monkey, and his name is Luffy. And the D in Monkey D. Luffy? In our house, it stands for Dizdarevic.

Mia + Aria = Miaru

In 2021, after my two daughters Mia and Aria were born, I fused their names together and got Miaru. I loved that name instantly, and even though the projects I attached it to over the years didn't all pan out, the name stuck. Some names are just meant to be waited on.

In 2023 I took a serious run at defining what Miaru should look and feel like. AI was just emerging as the hot new thing, and while it made some steps easier, it didn't yet get me where I wanted to go. So Miaru went on the back burner — again. But it never left the stove.

The trip that restarted everything

After my most recent visit to Japan, something clicked: the tools had finally caught up to the dream. So I went heads-down — every weekend, every spare hour — and with the help of the latest AI tools (OpenAI's Codex, Claude Code, xAI) and some genuinely great artists, Miaru came together.

Yes, it was built with a lot of AI. But there is human input and human touch in every single lesson. I went through each one the way I always envisioned these lessons should be — a way I've never been able to find in any existing platform.

Learning through conversations, not textbooks

Vocabulary is a start. Conversation is the goal.

Here's the thing: I'm on my fourth and fifth languages now (Mandarin Chinese and Japanese), and I have never learned a language from a textbook. Not once. I learn by hearing words live inside real conversations — and that's exactly where Miaru is built to shine.

Miaru is conversation-based learning. You don't just collect vocabulary; you see it being used. As you advance, the conversations advance with you — new grammar patterns slip in naturally, and the situations grow with your life: from a simple "nice to meet you" to the dentist, the post office, the convenience store, the supermarket. All the everyday moments where a language actually happens.

A few more things I care deeply about:

• Sound everywhere — every lesson can speak, because a language you can't hear is only half a language.
• Freedom to roam — you're not forced down a single path. Pick the lesson that calls to you today.
• A companion, not a taskmaster — Luffy cheers you on through the whole journey. Adults may not need him. Kids will never forget him.

The crazy vision (I'm saying it out loud)

Aim high. Then aim a little higher.

I want Miaru to become a globally recognized learning brand — and I want Luffy to become a face kids recognize in the educational space the way they recognize Mickey Mouse or Hello Kitty. I'd love to make YouTube content with Luffy: an animated kids' show about learning languages, math, reading and more. Is that ambitious? Wildly. Is it fun to build toward? Absolutely.

Right from the start, Miaru supports 35 languages worldwide, so learners can learn from the language they already speak. We're launching with one course first — Japanese — to see where the demand takes us, then extending into learning English, German, and every language after that. And beyond languages: K-12 math and sciences, and eventually genuinely advanced material brought to younger audiences.

Why education, why now

I believe kids can handle far more than we give them credit for — and that with the emergence of AI, understanding things deeply matters more than ever. You can't just trust an output; you need enough knowledge to validate it yourself. (Doctor Who gets this right: the Doctor can trust a time machine's intel because he understands the science behind it.) The future belongs to people who can work with AI while thinking for themselves — and that starts with stronger math, science, and curiosity at a younger age.

That's the spirit of Miaru: raise the bar joyfully. Make advanced ideas feel like play. Let failure be a normal, friendly part of learning. And keep the whole thing so fun that "one more lesson" becomes the default.

What's next

• Companion books — for languages like Japanese, writing kana and kanji by hand still matters for memory. Beautiful printed companions are coming.
• Videos and richer media — more ways to see and hear a language in action.
• Agentic lessons — I want learners to eventually generate their own lessons, tailored to their lives, with all of Miaru's knowledge built in.

This is just the start. Miaru is a new product with a different kind of learning at its core — more conversational, more free, more joyful. I've been chasing this idea for over a decade, and I've never been more excited to finally show it to the world.

Come learn with us — Luffy and I will be cheering you on. 🐒